The Blue Jays are pragmatically aware they did not add one of the top hitters in baseball with the signing of free-agent DH Vladimir Guerrero, but when the moment arrives that he is finally with the major-league team, after working himself into game shape, they believe they will have improved their roster and that is constantly a raison d’être for Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, moving forward.

“I understand the signing is news because it’s who Vladimir Guerrero is and a likely Hall of Famer and so on,” Anthopoulos said. “But it’s a minor-league contract, there are no assurances. He’s not part of our major-league roster. He’s going to go to extended spring training. We get to lay eyes on him. We’ll get to evaluate him and there isn’t anything beyond that.”

Guerrero will report to extended spring training in Dunedin to work himself back into game shape. His base contract for 2012 is $1.3 million and he will collect on that, pro-rated from the day he is activated to the active roster. Really not much of a financial commitment for Rogers ownership.

What are the Jays getting? Not a 100-RBI cleanup hitter, not someone Anthopoulos might have signed as a result of the Mariano Rivera injury and other weaknesses and openings among AL East contenders. Guerrero in 2012 is like Babe Ruth in 1935. The Boston Braves took a chance, signing the Bambino as a free agent after the Yankees let him go. What they got was a shadow of what the Babe was in the prime of his best-of-all-time career. Such is likely the case with Guerrero and the Jays, where the name and track record are far greater than his actual impact. Anthopoulos understands.

“I’ve always said, there’s no such thing as a bad minor-league signing,” Anthopoulos said. “There’s no financial commitment on behalf of the club. It’s a free look for us. If he looks good and he plays well it would be a great problem for us to have. If not, or we don’t have an opportunity for him, we’ll give him an opportunity to go somewhere else. It’s very similar to Scott Podsednik, a year ago, a chance to add a talented player on a minor-league contract, there’s really no downside.”

Guerrero will never be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but there will be considerable discussion. His early career, wherein he established himself and wowed the baseball world, was played in Montreal. The wonderful thing about this current Jays regime is the connection they have with Canadian baseball history under the native Montrealer and Expos front-office ingenue, Anthopoulos.

Ever since Vlad showed up barefoot on the back of a Moped as the uninvited guest tryout guy, an afterthought in the Dominican for Expos scout Fred Ferreira, and knocked the socks off Montreal’s scouts with his raw ability and fabulous arm, he has had a connection with Canadian baseball. Now, as Anthopoulos said, there’s no downside — although the upside may be far less than some anticipate.

At one time Guerrero was a top 10 major-league hitter. Now, after that sad display in the outfield for the Rangers during the 2010 World Series at San Francisco, where he botched two routine plays and then looked pleadingly at every hitter to please not hit a ball this way, Guerrero is only a DH.

“I’d love to say Vlad Guerrero is an elite top 10 major-league hitter,” Anthopoulos said. “But I’d be very surprised if we got an elite top 10 major-league hitter on a minor-league contract. If that was to be the case it would be an unbelievable signing, probably one of the greatest signings of all time if it worked out that way.”

This seems to be the way the Jays, until they believe they have the homegrown sustainability to become annual contenders, look to round out their major-league roster. Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, C.J. Wilson, Jose Reyes? Their contracts are for too long, for too much money and for someone else. Instead, there are short-term solutions out there until the Jays feel they are long-term contenders.

If Vlad is called up by the Jays, likely not before June 25 at Boston after the Jays have just finished the last of their nine inter-league games in National League parks, what they will have is not a leader in the clubhouse — that’s Jose Bautista — but an they will have a presence in the clubhouse and an upgrade over the 13th position player they have in uniform now, Ben Francisco. Guerrero has a .318 career average, with 449 homers, 181 stolen bases, a .931 OPS and is an eight-time all-star.

Even Bautista looks to that career in awe. In fact, there can be no coincidence in the fact that Guerrero’s signing is the third collaboration between the Jays and agent Bean Stringfellow, who also represented Bautista in his long-term, five-year deal with the Jays. After that spirited negotiation, Anthopoulos called Stringfellow one of the finest in the game, a pleasure to deal with.

Number two came late this past winter, with the Jays signing Francisco Cordero, another Stringfellow client. Now it’s Guerrero’s turn, an out of work star looking for one more kick at the major-league can. No matter how it turns out in Toronto, I’m voting Vlad for the Hall of Fame.

Starting out his pro career, Guerrero was one of those can’t miss phenoms in Montreal. Even in the Gulf Coast and Florida State leagues in his teens, the early ’90s, Expos manager Felipe Alou would casually — like a fox — begin every pre-game media conference with an update on Guerrero, without even being asked, casually flipping the previous night’s summary onto his desk, face up.

Vlad was amazing. He had five tools, with a dynamic, if erratic throwing arm, great defence, speed, power and average. He was always going to be a star. That’s what fans remember. As for what the Jays are getting at this stage, with the wear and tear of max effort on every pitch, every at-bat, every game, to quote Bob Seger, he’s older now, still running against the wind.

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